Charnock, John

, esq. F. S. A. an ingenious but
unfortunate writer, was born Nov. 28, 1756, the only son
of John Charnock, esq. a native of the island of Barbadoes,
and formerly an advocate of eminence at the English bar,
by Frances, daughter of Thomas Boothby, of Chingford
in Essex, esq. About 1767 he was placed at the rev.
Reynell Cotton’s school at Winchester, and went from
thence to the college, where, in the station of a commoner,
he was under the immediate care of the celebrated Dr.
Joseph Warton, the head master, in whose house he
boarded, and became the peculiar favourite of that eminent
tutor. Having attained to the seniority of the school, and
gained the prize medal annually given for elocution, he
removed from Winchester to Oxford, and was, in 1774,
entered a gentleman-commoner of Merton college. Here
he soon discovered his passion for literary composition, in
a multiplicity of fugitive pieces on various subjects, which
appeared in the periodical papers; many of them, however, were not of a kind likely to confer permanent reputation, being invectives against the American war, written
in a vehement spirit of opposition, under the signatures of
Casca, Squib, or Justice.

He left the university to return to a domestic life totally
nnsuited to the activity both of body and mind for whicU
he was remarkable, but which, amidst some family differences, he contrived to employ on the study of naval and
military tactics; and with no other assistance than that of
his mathematical knowledge, aided by a few books, he
made a very considerable proficiency. The noble collection of drawings which he left, executed during that short
period solely by his own hand, would alone furnish an ample proof of his knowledge of these subjects, and of the
indefatigable zeal with which he pursued them. He now
became anxious to put into practice what he had learnt,
and earnestly pressed for permission to embrace the naval
| or military profession. He was at this time sole heir to a
very considerable fortune, and the darling of his parents,
but derived none of the advantages which usually follow
these circumstances. His request being denied, he entered
a volunteer into the naval service, and very soon attained
that proficiency of which his publications on the subject
will be lasting monuments. A sense of duty afterwards
withdrew him again into private life; but his mind had received a wound in the disappointment, and other circumstances, which, his biographer says, it would be indelicate
to particularize, contributed to keep it open. By the unkindness of those to whom he had most reason to look
up, and partly by his own imprudence, he was obliged
to have recourse to his pen for support, and although he
employed it with talent and industry, it did not yield him
the due recompence of his labours, nor the necessary supplies for his own maintenance and that of a beloved wife*
Hence he became embarrassed in his circumstances, and
the sources fromwhich he had the fairest right to expect
relief being unaccountably closed against him, he was suffered to linger out the remainder of life in the prison of
the King’s- Bench, in which he died May 16, 1807. His
funeral deserves to be recorded. It was not that of an
insolvent debtor. To the surprise of all who knew his melancholy history, he was interred with great ceremony and
expence at Lea, near Biackheath, in the same grave which,
within two years after, received his father and mother.

His works, besides many smaller pieces, were, 1. “The
Rights of a Free People,” 1792, 8vo, an irony on the democracy of that period. 2. “Biographia Navalis,” 1794,
&c. 6 vols. 8vo. 3. “A Letter on Finance and on National Defence,' 7 1798. 4.” A History of Marine Architecture,“3 vols. 4to. 5.” A Life of Lord Nelson,“1806.
His” Biograpliia Navalis“is a truly valuable work, and
supplies those deficiencies in the previous naval biographies
of Campbell and Berkenhout, over whom Mr. Charnock
had the superior advantage of professional knowledge.
After his death was printed,” Loyalty or Invasion defeated," 1810, an historical tragedy. 1

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